After a great debut to the season, the NBA season rolls on with a day 2 slate that featured 12 games with more than a few interesting matchups. It would be interesting to see how the Bulls and Lakers responded to their emotional Christmas Day game (4th most watched regular season game on ABC in NBA history), both playing on the road. It would be interesting to see if the Grizz would live up to what is undoubtedly the highest expectations they’ve ever had as a franchise vs. the old guard San Antonio Spurs. Also of note, if the defending champion Mavericks would bounce back, and how some of the young and up coming teams (Pacers, Sixers) would do.
Grizzlies 82 @ Spurs 95
Old guard proved to have some life left in them vs the young contending Grizzlies. Spurs held Zach Randolph in check, limiting him to just 8 shots (of which he made 3) in 30 min of play. The Spurs utilized a great 3rd qtr (no doubt do in part to Pop making halftime adjustments) to close in on, and overtake the Grizz after their halftime deficit of 44-33. Interesting to note, Pop went with a 10 man rotation which is rare for him. Rudy Gay took the most shots for the Grizz, and as a result had the most points (19). On the other side of the court, Manu was back to being Manu, helping the Spurs make their run and putting the Grizzlies out of their misery and keeping the franchise without an opening day victory since their move from Vancouver in '01 (also didn't help that the Grizz had 24 turnovers to the Spurs 13). Despite Blair getting the start, Tiago Splitter played 33 minutes to DeJuan Blair's 10 minutes at the 5 spot. I fully expect the Grizzlies to be a major player in the west, but the Spurs proved they are also in the conversation.
Lakers 91 Kings 100; Bulls 91 Warriors 99
Lakers and Bulls responded the exact same way to their Christmas day thriller; by scoring 91 points and losing. The Bulls came out flat scoring only 41 points in the first half while the Lakers similarly came out flat scoring a mere 40 points. Bryant looked much more comfortable with that wrist injury, playing 38 minutes of a back-to-back (knowing he had another game the next night) and scoring 29 pts with only 2 turnovers. The Lakers depth continued to be the issue here. With no Bynum they weren't able to overcome a fast & physical Kings squad. Tyreke Evans absolutely exploited Derek Fisher all night long to the tune of 20 pts on 6-13 shooting, while Marcus Thornton showed exactly why the Kings liked him scoring 27 points to go along with 5 boards and 3 dimes. Jimmer's debut was a bit quiet, 6 points on 3-8 shooting in 26 minutes of play (impressive minutes) with 3 assists and 3 turnovers. As for the Warriors/Bulls game - I'll say this, the backcourt of the Warriors is flat out FUN to watch. Monta Ellis and Steph Curry are electric. A combined 17-29 for 47 points, 17 asts, 6 stls, and 9 rebs (total +/- of +11), they imposed their will on D-Rose, Rip, and Brewer. Little surprised Brewer only got 15 minutes in this game while noted defensive flop Korver got 17 (and Rip got 24), but the way the Warriors played defensively (YES, the Warriors, I know, I know!), not so sure it would have mattered. While the Bulls outrebounded the Warriors, the Warriors had 16 steals to the Bulls 3 along with 2 more blocks and 10 less turnovers while attempting 9 more FT's. Clearly the Warriors were committed to a physical defensive game while the Bulls were not. The Bulls are obviously the better team in the long run, but that was a nice showing for the Warriors faithful that Mark Jackson may have this team buying into playing some defense. Also, how the F&$# did Kwame Brown get 23 minutes?! There is no right answer to that question...
76ers 103 Trail Blazers 107 ; Pistons 79 Pacers 91
76ers came out flat (kind of unforgivable given how good a coach Doug Collins is), but rebounded to play head to head on the road with a very good Blazer team. What was interesting to me was Collins choosing to play only an 8 man rotation given such a deep bench to work with. Gerald Wallace played well (as he always does vs. Philly) and Camby got his 10+ rebounds and Portland limited their turnovers while the Sixers were careless with it (especially early on). The Sixers made a nice run, getting within 2 points thanks to an Elton Brand jumper, only to see that balloon to a double digit deficit before Lou Williams single-handedly brought them back and if not for a missed Iggy 3, potentially a win. David West looked good in his debut as a Pacer scoring 11 pts and garnering 12 boards (7 of which were o-rebs, extending possessions) with 2 blocks. This game, however, was an ugly one. Both teams shot under 37% but thanks to a 2-1 edge in o-rebs, the Pacers were able to take more shots in the game, allowing them to take the win. While I am confident in saying the Pacers won't be this bad going forward, I'm not sure we haven't seen the issue that will haunt Detroit all year. They have no identity and a lot of guys who play the same position. It will be interesting to see how Lawrence Frank handles that going forward.
Raptors 104 Cavaliers 96; Rockets 95 Magic 104; Nets 90 Wizards 84; Bucks 95 Bobcats 96; Thunder 104 Timberwolves 100; Nuggets 115 Mavericks 93; Hornets 85 Suns 84
Notes:
- Mavericks came out flat for the 2nd straight game; not a good sign for the defending champs
- Rick Carlisle had 13 people with playing time in the game (10 with significant minutes); that is not good for a team coming off a championship that SHOULD have their rotation set. That shows me he's not comfortable with what he has. Definitely something to keep an eye on.
- Rubio looks like he's gonna be as good as advertised. His court vision is ridiculous. Once he gets a bit older and adjusts to the speed of the game, he will be a perennial all-star
- The Hornets won thanks to Stern veto'ing the Suns last second shot (sorry, had to)
- Kevin Durant scores 30+ for the second straight night - can you say scoring title?
- Kyrie Irving didn't have the debut a 1st overall pick would like: 2-12 shooting for 6 pts, 1-5 from downtown a turnover and 2 fouls. However he did have 7 assists, which is the equivalent to 14 on a team with real basketball players.
- Tristan Thompson could be better than people think; 1 of only 3 Cavs with a positive +/- line and made great use of his 17 minutes, scoring 14 points.
- Kemba Walker: 13 pts, 7 rebs, 3 asts, 7-7 from the stripe. Not too shabby, but DJ Augistin stole the show with 19 pts on 7-16 shooting with 8 asts.
- The Wizards must be sick after blowing that lead to a team like the Nets; Blatche certainly tweeted to that affect.
- Hedo Turkoglu doing his best to make himself not look like a salary dump throw in to the eventual Dwight Howard trade; 23 pts on 10-14 shooting, passing up a few 3 pt shots to drive to the hoop (very unlike him, or any European player for that matter..)
- Kyle Lowry is very good and needs to get more recognition for it.
- Terrence Williams has the fastest hands in the NBA. That man can turn a windmill dunk in .5 seconds.
- If nothing else, Minnesota will be fun to watch this year; Especially with Kevin Love who continues to be a top 10 player in the NBA (yes, seriously). Dude is money and I would take him over Blake Griffen right now in a heart-beat.
- Derrick Williams: 13 pts, 6 rebs, 1 asts, 1 stl, 6-14 shooting. Not a bad debut for the much hyped rookie
- Kris Humphries is more than just Mr. Kardashian: 21 pts and 16 boards amidst a bevy of boo's in the Verizon Center.
No comments:
Post a Comment